The Mountain and the River
by Elphaba-Rose
Summary: Pairing: Leo/Usagi. The world is ending. He can feel it in his kiss.


A.N: OTP alert! Thank you for reading.

The world is ending. He can feel it in his kiss. A last, desperate attempt to breathe life into something that had been lost so long ago. He'd been searching his entire life for the other half of his soul, and here it was, in this dying fragment of a boy. He'd wasted so much time looking in all the wrong places, and now he had no time at all. No time to think about what he could do to stop this.

It is bigger than he is. When he stumbled across Leonardo years ago he also stumbled across a feud and a fate and a tragedy that he couldn't control. He is used to death and heartbreak and destiny by now, but they had never hurt like this. If he allowed himself to stop and acknowledge the roaring pain within him then he'd topple into it and shatter as he fell. He can't do that, not now and not ever.

When they first met, there was a crack in Leonardo that he was confident he could fix. But he'd never known how deep it ran, and the crack turned into a gaping chasm that he could never fill. Too many memories. Too much water under the bridge. He is losing hope and wondered how they ever saw any in the first place. But they must have done, otherwise they'd never have felt the soothing sting of a kiss in the darkness.

He doesn't know where to begin. Before him there is a shell of a being and he doesn't know whether to touch or to talk. It is sad to think that he is more accustomed to seeing those blue eyes pale and resigned rather than the blazing sapphires he knew they could be. He tries, every single day, to get them back but he hasn't seen them for a long time now. He isn't sure he ever will again.

He used to think Leonardo would never break, that he would always find a way to glue the pieces back together again. His brothers were the thread and he stitched himself together over and over. But now the fabric was too frayed and threadbare to repair again. Too little butter scraped over too much bread. He'd tried too hard and for too long to make the edges meet. There was nothing left to stretch.

What could he do if Leonardo had already given up? What could he possibly say that would get this broken young man believing in life once more? He bows his head and presses Leonardo's hand to his face. Green, pebbled skin to white, soft fur. They shouldn't have worked. Boy – man. Green – white. Turtle – rabbit. Ninja – samurai. There had been too much evidence stacked against them.

But it didn't matter. They work. He can never explain the happiness that Leonardo's presence in his life brings him. If any of them had nothing else to live for but the other, it would be him. Nothing toed him to this existence more than Leonardo, and the threat of losing him was becoming all too real. He can't even comprehend living without him, knew that if Leonardo were to die this very second he would follow him the second after.

Leonardo knows this, but doesn't believe him. He can't get to grips with the idea that someone _wants_ him. Wants all of him and for forever. He has never been wanted by anyone but his brothers, and that is a bond that runs deeper and stronger than the core of the earth. He can only hope that their own connection had the same strength and longevity.

They are both so terribly tired of fighting. He is tired of fighting for life and Leonardo is tired of fighting for relief. The difference was he refused to give in. Leonardo was fighting _him_ now, ready to allow the depression to crush him. He'd had enough now, and the crippling black thoughts stopped him from thinking any different.

Usagi couldn't let it end like this. Leonardo was a warrior, tempered with a stubborn bravery and a sharp sense of justice. To be undone by this would be undeserved. But Leonardo will not see reason and Usagi doesn't know how to force him. The ache is too strong and has been there longer than it should have. How can he heal something like that?

Leonardo is a mountain, solid and hard set in his ways, and the wind cannot bend it to its will. However the river can relentlessly erode its way into the mountain's heart. The river can smooth away the cracks and hard edges. The river can fill those sore caverns with a gentle caress. Usagi is done with howling like the wind because the mountain will never respond to it.

So instead he touches him with all the tenderness of the river, stroking his face like the brush of waves. This finally draws a reaction from the lifeless being. Leonardo turns to look at him with an expression that is so desolate it breaks his lover's heart. But still Usagi pets him, sliding loving fingertips over every pale scar in the dark scales.

Usagi will show him exactly what will be lost if Leonardo allows himself to be overcome by this weight. They will lose a love that will never be found with another. A love that transcends worlds. A love that blossomed from two lonely and hopeless individuals. A love that will heal all wounds over time, if it were just given a chance. For the briefest of heartbeats, Leonardo's eyes burn like sapphires in the sun.

The world is ending. He can feel it in his kiss.

The End


End file.
